Curt Cignetti reveals approach to NIL in recruiting, why he doesn’t ‘deal with agents’

Even after winning the national championship, Curt Cignetti isn’t changing his philosophy in recruiting. But he also knows how important NIL is in the process, which is why the Indiana coach said schools have to “be smart.”

Cignetti told Rich Eisen that the Hoosiers have developed a bigger profile on the recruiting trail and can bring more prospects to Bloomington as a result. The program still looks for traits such as toughness, character and toughness, though, even with more access to higher-rated prospects.

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However, Cignetti said it’s important to keep pace with the times as the NIL and rev-share eras evolve. it comes down to finding the balance between making a splash on the trail and retaining key pieces already on the roster.

“Yeah, there are more guys we can get in on and get on campus. But you’ve got to be smart, too, because the market’s always changing and this high school market is out there,” Cignetti said on The Rich Eisen Show. “So you really can’t go all the way with everybody you’d like to because you’ve got to be able to keep the good players and add a few guys in the portal where you’ve got critical needs.”

When asked if anyone has ever come into his office asking for more money, Curt Cignetti said it has “never” happened on his watch. After all, many of the athletes have agents, and he made it clear he’s not part of those conversations. He leaves those to his recruiting staffers and noted talks about NIL dollars don’t happen during the season.

“The time for negotiation is when the season’s over,” Cignetti said. “The high school deal, when you’re recruiting, you’ve got agents calling your guy.

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“I don’t deal with agents anymore. I let our people deal with them and they come to me. It’s like anything else. How bad do you want it?”

After winning the national championship, Cignetti and Indiana once again reloaded in the transfer portal. The Hoosiers brought in the No. 1-ranked transfer class, according to the On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings, headlined by former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover.

Additionally, IU’s 2026 recruiting class comes in as the nation’s No. 30 overall group, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. That includes seven four-stars on the way to Bloomington.